SPA Modeler

I’ve been feeling a bit guilty of late of not posting any WIP, even though I’m working on stuff – the trouble is it’s been in progress for a while – so sorry it’s started but here’s what’s at the front of the bench now.

And yes it’s a What-if build...

This is the Hasegawa 1/72 Grumman Tiger I've been working on. I was trying to put it into a whif USN scheme but I'm not happy with the look of it - so it's time for a change. (It also has some seams that need work)



So I give you - a soon to be Grumman Tiger FGR.1, of the Royal Shetland Airforce Number 2 (Orkney) Fighter Squadron.



So I've rubbed back the paint a bit with wet and dry and put some filler along the seams, along with some other tidying up.



I had a think about what upgrades I could do I'm wondering about scratch building a RWR on the tail like most UK aircraft, and adding an Air to Air refuelling probe. I also have a load of resin FLIR pods for the Tornado GR.1… anyway – this is what I had in mind so I thought you might like to see them...



And some more progression –



The belly tank and FLIR(?)/Optical Targeting Pod fitted. I've also filled/sanded and re-scribed the seams - I'm glad I did that as I'm much happier with them now. (thought the scribing needs tidying up in areas)

And this is where I am now – The refuelling probe and the RWR have been done – it just need a bit more filler in places and then I can crack on with some paint.





Not sure of the Camo at this stage – I’m either thinking two tone grey camo like the French Navy, Green/grey RAF camo or something a bit more akin to the mig-27 I’m building.

(edit - three times I've tried to sort the images on this -but I can only get them to come out as large thumbnails... Go figure...)

Cheers

Stuart

Just in case anyone is even remotely interested - this is some back story...

Shetland Islands Defence Forces and the Royal Shetland Airforce

Note: One of the ‘What-if’ ideas I’ve had for a while is to set up a completely fictional country, so that I can effectively build my own defence force in whatever markings I like (an idea taken from a Biggles book) – part of the fun of ‘What-if’ is making up the back story.

What if the Shetland Islands went independent rather than Norway giving them to Scotland.

Although the Nation (principality?) is small, it is rich due to its off-shore energy reserves, and the rights to the surrounding North Sea fisheries.

Being fiercely independent, they would have set up their own defence forces to protect the islands and their interests. This feeling increased during the events of WWII. Although its plan for defence would fit into the overall UK mainland defence structure- it would keep its independence. The Shetlands also took on the responsibility of defence for the Orkney and Faroe Islands. The UK mainland pays a sum annually in return for assistance with the defence of its northern borders.

Maritime Patrol, Strike and Air Sea Rescue would be its main areas of expertise, with Air defence coming second (with maybe a minor ground attack role to support the island defence forces).

The Navy would probably consist of small patrol boats, backed up by the patrol aircraft. The ground forces would probably be organised much like the Falkland Islands, in that there is a small full time contingent but most of their numbers would be made up of part time volunteers.

Basic Training for the RSAF is carried out by the RAF under contract.

hey it's Whif - so no reason why they couldn't have tangled with the Russians over control over the North sea at some point....

Royal Shetland Air Force - Squadron Strength & Duties

Number 1 (Lerwick) Interceptor Squadron
10 Aircraft, two flights of 5 - Air Defence, including the Shetland, Faroe and Orkney Isles, the North Sea Oil and Gas Fields and the surrounding waters. Integrated into the UK Mainland Air Defence System.

Number 2 (Orkney) Fighter Squadron
10 Aircraft, Two flights of 5 - Air Defence, Maritime Strike and Ground Support. These aircraft are normally crewed by Carrier capable pilots and equipped with navel aircraft, giving the RSAF the ability of working with the NATO Navies.

Number 3 Reconnaissance Flight
5 Aircraft - Fast Reconnaissance support to the SIDF (Shetland Isles Defence Forces). Secondary Duties Include Patrol, Air Defence and Ground support where possible.

Number 4 (Faroe) Maritime Strike Flight
5 Aircraft - Dedicated Maritime Strike Aircraft.

Number 10 Patrol Squadron
10 Aircraft, two flights of 5 - Maritime Patrol, ASW, Air Sea Rescue.

Number 20 Transport Squadron
15 Aircraft, three flights of 5 (including airliners) - Transport Support for the SIDF and the Shetland Islands Government. Run regular routes between islands for paying civilian traffic (source of income for the RSAF ::)). Secondary duties include patrol and disaster recovery (Oil spills).

Number 21 Transport Squadron
12 Aircraft, Two flights of 5, (and one flight of 2 dedicated Air Sea Rescue aircraft on 24HR rotation).
The RSAF Helicopter Squadron. Duties include support to the SIDF and Shetland Islands Government, Air, Sea Rescue, and Oil Rig Support (another Paying Source of Income ££££ ).

Number 22 (Shetland) Communications Squadron
Approx 10 Aircraft of mixed types (Including Light Helicopters) - General duties, including Training.

Ok so all a load of crap - but hey I was bored at work and it filled in five minutes ok!

Oooh, that's am I interesting back story!! Watching to see what camo you decide on....

Thanks! Still not sure yet - I'm sort of heading towards green/grey but it's hard to say.

I also have a Super Etendard that's destined for a RSAF scheme...

Very cool Stuart! Can't wait to see it painted.

Got a first coat of the camo on...







Need to add another coat and then some dark earth squiggles...

Cheers!

I like it !!!

That is an interesting Whiff, That grey camo looks cool!

Thanks Gents, it's rather fun this What-if stuff.

I Just relaised how grey those photos looked (I had WB issues last night) - the dark colour is actually Green.

Pretty cool stuff going on in here...